A Town's Lyrics
by ambiguousduck
Summary: Mayor Cora wants Lyric to grow bigger. April wants to do more than work at a coffee shop. Shep must confess his love to Gwen before it's too late. One of the town's residents is missing. Redd is up to something sneaky. And Isabelle just wants everybody to get along. What other drama could possibly commence in the small town of Lyric?


**This story takes place in a modified version of New Leaf. I do not own any** **of the characters that appear in the games.**

Prologue - Expansion

Tom Nook startled at the sound of the bells above his door.

"Surprised to see me?" inquired the girl who had just entered-tall, pale, blonde and beautiful. The mayor of their little town called Lyric, Cora. She looked perfectly put together, per usual. Her glasses were of acclaimed Gracie Grace design, her long plum coat stopped where the strap of her black pumps wrapped around her ankle, and her hair was twisted behind her head in a bun, not a hair out of place. Although the mayor was relentlessly friendly, she was also a private person and one who did not waste words-those two things combined with her perpetual composure and her diligence made her a somewhat intimidating sight, even to the infamous Tom Nook.

"No! No of course not. You're right on time, hm? I was simply lost in thought." The raccoon padded over the corner of his store where he kept his coat. "Lyle, keep an eye on the place, will you? If anyone comes in tell them I'll back by three-thirty at the latest, hm?"

He and the mayor set off down Main Street together. "Why not ask one of your nephews to watch over the shop for you?" asked Cora as they began down the steps towards the main part of town where the train station was. "They've been hiring like mad over there since they expanded to include Gracie."

"Neither of them much likes to leave the shop, you know. There's always at least one of them in there from opening to closing. I can't deny that I understand it-they _are _young and determined. You of all people must know what that's like, hm?"

The mayor allowed herself a small smile. "Must I?"

They arrived in the train station in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Mayor Cora was headed off to sell some of the town's perfect cherries-they were at a premium at the nearby town of West Bay's market-and then she and Tom were to have a lunch meeting over there.

"Good afternoon Miss Cora and Mr. Nook," greeted Porter, the monkey who ran the train station. "You two on the next westbound train?"

Cora nodded.

"It'll be arriving any moment now but the trains are a few minutes behind schedule today. My apologies."

Cora nodded once more, smiling politely at the monkey. She felt disconnected from him-perhaps because he spent all day working and all night sleeping or perhaps because she'd never bothered to befriend him. Either way, she made a mental note to stop by the train station more often just to check in.

Once the train was safely stopped in the station and its doors were open, Tom Nook and the mayor stepped inside. The train ride was only about half an hour long, so they chatted menially to kill time. They discussed the weather-oh, how soon it would be spring!-and Cora's newly finished lighthouse project-what a perfect spot for it!-and the travelling musician K.K. Slider-have you ever heard Stale Cupcakes?

The train ride ended just as they were settling into another mildly unpleasant quiet. The train station of West Bay was busier than Lyric's-a tall purple ostrich followed them off the train and there was a trio of animals sitting in some gray plastic chairs, one of whom was alternately flipping through a magazine and looking impatiently at the clock. "I'll meet you at the diner in forty minutes?" suggested Cora, pulling the bag containing the cherries closer to her.

Tom Nook nodded, wondering what he could possibly do for forty minutes in West Bay. Perhaps he could find some things in their shopping district that he couldn't get from his own town. Or maybe he would just take a long stroll around the place. He hadn't been for a nice, quiet walk in a long while, and a business lunch with Cora would require him to be as relaxed as possible.

Cora set off to her destination-the town's market that was just on the beach. She was old friends with the owner, a sleek black fox named Petunia, and she loved the hustle and bustle of a town like West Bay, so she knew her way around pretty well from all the trips she'd taken there. She waved at all the familiar faces she passed and smiled even at those she didn't know. It was important for Cora to maintain appearances and to be friendly with everybody.

"Cora!" exclaimed Petunia when the human girl stepped into the shop. The fox scurried over to friend, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Oh, it's been too long!"

"Unfortunately," said Cora as the two embraced, "I'm not here to chat. I'm here strictly on business today."

"Oh, you're no fun," pouted Petunia with a mock baby voice. "Why do you have to be so busy all the time? You're the mayor! Just make people do things for you!"

Cora shook her head. "I've got perfect cherries for you today, Petunia."

The fox's beady eye lit up. "Oh! Oh of course! Right this way, follow me."

Once Cora had finished her business with Petunia, she left the shop with a nice, full wallet. Of course, this would all go in the town fund, but a heavy wallet _was_ a nice feeling. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist, pleased to see that she was done earlier than expected. This allowed her a modicum of time to take care of some other business she had to do.

Meanwhile, Tom Nook was just arriving in the diner, figuring he could have a cup of coffee before lunch to get him through the rest of the day. Of course, the coffee in West Bay wasn't nearly as good as the stuff Brewster made in Lyric, but caffeine was caffeine. He settled into the blue-cushioned booth by the front window and watched people stroll around the West Bay shopping district, bags in their paws, coats on their backs.

The raccoon was on his third cup of coffee by the time Cora arrived.

"So sorry I'm late," said Cora, whose cheeks were flushed from the cold. "The market was a mad house today. Petunia kept me waiting for over ten minutes before we even got started."

"Oh, ho! Don't worry about it. I've been enjoying my people watching."

"Well," said Cora, opening up a menu. "I'm starving. I simply didn't have time today for my midmorning snack. I can't even talk business until I get something in my system."

Tom Nook smiled at her and tried not to look too bored while she browsed her options. Nook was a raccoon who was set in his ways and ordered the same thing at this diner, even though his visits to West Bay were infrequent.

Once they had finally ordered-sea bass and fries for Tom and a salad for Cora-the business talk began to flow. "Well, I suppose you ought to tell me about this new girl that's moving in on Friday."

"She's settling in right where Olivia used to live," said Tom. "I'm quite proud of that house to be honest-it's not very large, but it's efficient, hm? She came to see me late last evening, right before I closed shop. Let's see…she's a human, I suppose that's relevant. I'm actually a little surprised you haven't seen her around, Mayor Cora. She told me she'd be in and out of town all week getting her things settled in."

"Must be coming in when I'm busy."

"Yes, must be…" said Tom, not sure what else to say about this new girl. "Oh! Of course! Her name is April."

Cora nodded, taking a small sip of her water. "Yes, actually, I wanted to meet with you about Lyric's population."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I think it's too small. I mean, just look at this place! West Bay is filled with animals. How many people do you think live here? Over a hundred? Meanwhile over in Lyric we've got a measly 38. It's time for a change, Tom. I'm trying to fill up the town and I need your help."

Tom tilted his head at the mayor. "You want me to build houses, then? Hm? Perhaps a whole neighborhood?"

Cora smiled. "Precisely."


End file.
